Wolf steps down as Chippewa's football coach

DOYLESTOWN -- Not even a week after the end of the high school football regular season, the area has its first head coaching vacancy.

Kevin Wolf, who just completed his third season at Chippewa, turned in his resignation Monday. The Chipps were 1-9 this season, ending their 29-game losing streak and giving Wolf a 1-29 record at the school.

"It was time," said Wolf, who will remain a guidance counselor at Chippewa. "I didn't want to be the cause of kids I care about not being able to win. I was able to take it as far as I thought I could."

Although the results didn't show in the win-loss column, Chippewa showed on-field improvement this year after back-to-back 0-10 seasons.

The schedule included losses to playoff qualifiers Galion, Columbia, Norwayne, Northwestern and Hillsdale, but a last-minute 21-20 loss to archrival Rittman, a 27-21 loss to Dalton and an eight-point loss in the opener at Norton were especially tough setbacks.

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"I thought Kevin had them playing hard all year, and that he had a good finger on the pulse of the kids' feelings, and his game plans were good, but we lost some close, winnable games," Chippewa athletic director Bill Conley said. "I don't think 1-29 is good for anyone -- the community, the coaches, our kids. Kevin's a great guy and a great counselor, and he does a good job with the kids. The bottom line is, we just didn't win enough.

"You can't place all of the blame on Kevin, but he's the one who runs the show," Conley added. "He felt 1-29 wasn't good enough. The progress just wasn't made fast enough, or what the kids deserve."

Conley emphasized that the decision came from Wolf, "and it wasn't forced on him by me or by my superiors."

"I can tell you this, between the building principal and superintendent and myself, we never had that conversation," Conley said. "Would he have been back? I don't know, but nobody's happy with 1-29."

"For me, I didn't want it to come down to that, so I made the decision myself," said Wolf, a Norwayne graduate who came back to Wayne County after being an assistant coach in Indiana. "I like to be in control of my own life, so that's what I did.

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"I just wanted to make sure I was thinking about the 45 kids (on the team) and my wife and kids. I didn't want it to drag out."

Wolf, who is close to becoming certified as an administrator, isn't sure if his future includes football. But, while his record isn't what he had planned on achieving in his first head coaching job, he said he steps away with few regrets.

"As I reflect on the situation, I'm so proud of the kids," he said. "No, we weren't able to win enough games, but the thing I appreciate, and in my situation I certainly had my supporters and my detractors, is that the kids never stopped believing.

"It moved too slow, but I think a lot of good things happened. The kids improved, but not enough to where we were winning, and three years is too long to get to competitive, at least for me."

Conley said he would like to get the position filled soon.

"I'd like to get it taken care of as soon as possible. I know there are rules we have to follow, but I'd like to get it moving along quickly," he said.

"I think we need someone who can motivate kids through the weight room, a teacher who is in the building every day. We need someone whose offseason program can get our student-athletes to the next level -- not just athletically, but agility-wise, strength-wise, all the things that go into being a good football player," Conley added. "Someone with energy to take what Kevin did, that foundation, and take it further."

Mike Plant can be reached at 330-287-1649 or mplant@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MPlantTDR.